Criminal Charges Filed Against Toledo Man Found with 18 Firearms, Body Armor, More Than 40,000 Rounds of Ammunition

CLEVELAND — A criminal indictment was unsealed today charging Toledo, Ohio resident Richard Schmidt with a variety of crimes related to his possession of 18 firearms, body armor and more than 40,000 rounds of ammunition despite a previous conviction for the crime of manslaughter, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cleveland office.

Schmidt, 47, was arrested in December following searches of his home and business. He was convicted of manslaughter in 1990 in the Lucas County, Ohio Court of Common Pleas. Schmidt was forbidden from possessing firearms, ammunition or body armor as a result of his conviction.

It is deeply troubling that law enforcement found this man, with a prior homicide conviction, in possession of an arsenal, said U.S. Attorney Dettelbach. We owe the FBI and our other law enforcement partners our thanks that they caught this man, with 18 firearms – some of them assault weapons – high–capacity magazines, more than 40,000 rounds of ammunition, and a bulletproof vest stored in a locked room in a mall, before anyone was hurt.

Richard Schmidt is not only accused trafficking in counterfeit goods but also is accused of being a felon in possession of a significant quantity of firearms and ammunition, said Special Agent in Charge Anthony. We are pleased that the FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners were able to take Richard Schmidt off the street.

Count 4 charges that between Sept. 30, 2011 and Dec. 21, 2012, Schmidt trafficked in counterfeit goods, specifically goods with counterfeit logos and brand–name markings of the National Football League, Nike, Reebok and Louis Vuitton.

These items were found following searches of Schmidt’s home in Toledo, the store he operates, Spindletop Sports Zone, in Bowling Green, Ohio, and trailers in the parking lot of the shopping center that includes Spindeltop Sports Zone. Investigators also recovered seven high’capacity magazines during the search, according to court records.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio filed 176 indictments for violations of federal firearms laws, with the average sentence being more than six years in prison.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Duncan T. Brown and Linda H. Barr following an investigation by the FBI, with assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Border Patrol, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Toledo Police Department, the Bowling Green Police Department and the Wood County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives United States Department of Justice